


The Secrets that You Keep

by GrandSentinelSage



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Domestic Violence, M/M, Making Out, Past Abuse, Physical Abuse, Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:05:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8243834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrandSentinelSage/pseuds/GrandSentinelSage
Summary: Some time after Dorian Pavus joins the Inquisition, Inquisitor Cinder Lavellan and him become close. Physically, too. Before they can have their fun, Dorian makes an unexpected discovery about his elusive partner. It doesn't go as planned.





	

**Author's Note:**

> There is a much larger story surrounding the build-up to this, but this is what I could crank out for a starter. This is an alternate ending to the first night Pavellan becomes, uh, canon. Planning to do much more with Cinder's past. Involves lots of skin description and intense touch, but no actual smut. Caps at the end.

He could barely breathe. Cinder was gentle, yet fierce as a lion. They looped their arms around each other. For months, they had been picking at each other, quick glances and friendly favors. Now, they crashed together in the tower chambers. The kisses roamed under his jaw, emitting a less than composed sound from Dorian. He felt himself flaring up and losing control. His hands reached up under the smaller man’s shirt.

Instead of smooth skin, he was met with rough scales. He stopped. There were raised lines spanning across his back from the nape of his neck to his hips. Dorian pulled away and looked him in the eyes. Cinder stared at the ground.

“Those wounds are nasty. Are they from the Conclave? Or Haven? Redcliffe?” he asked.

There was a long pause. “No.”

The elf took a deep breath and took off his shirt, quietly grunting in pain along the way. It revealed a gruesome tapestry of scars along his torso. They were old, but had been deep and poorly treated. He felt his heart drop.

Lash marks.

“I should have told you. I was afraid, and…and if anyone found out there’d be a target on the whole Inquisition…and…your father…” Cinder stuttered, the anxiety flooding his voice.

Dorian held his hand, both of them shaking. “I thought you were Dalish.”

“I am. I was born to the Mahariel clan before…well...”

“You were captured?”

Cinder took a moment to focus. His grace returned, a trusting calm rather than a mask. 

“It used to be a lot worse than it is now.” he began. “Before the Hero of Ferelden convinced the throne to actually give a damn about elves, slavers used to roam the wilds whenever they wanted. The smaller clans, like mine, tried to avoid the north. It was a special circumstance. My sister was getting married in Denerim. Even for a risky interaction with humans, we weren’t in much danger.”

“But then there was Assan’lin. She was younger than me, and very eager to become a hunter. It was almost her time to prove herself too. Since I was the only one leaving the party during the trip, she wanted me to accompany her. I should have said no. Humans get hostile when they see armed Dalish. I went anyway.

“She eventually started chasing a stag. I was watching from the trees, making sure nothing too horrible happened. Unfortunately, a distant wolf had caught scent of the prey too. Not wanting her to lose her first real hunt, I went after it. Another mistake. By the time I stuck it with an arrow, she had run off. It wasn’t a big deal. Assa was capable.  
“What I didn’t know was that the wolf wasn’t the only predator out there.

“She screamed. The stag was running as fast as it could in the other direction. I leaped down from the branch and sprinted towards the sound. Assa had been caught in a magically weighed net. I tried desperately to cut the cords. Horses were getting louder behind us. Finally getting her free, she fled back to the camp while I blew the distress horn. 

“There were five of them, all mounted. I missed my shot at the leader. They drew their swords and surrounded me. At that moment, I seriously considered death over capture.

“But our elder had told us once, ‘If you are captured and cannot escape, surrender. Your Creators intended you to be free, but they also intended you to be alive.’

“So, there I went. We marched all of the way to the Imperium. I was eventually sold in Minrathous. And again. And again, and again, and again. Dalish slaves have quite the rebellious streak in them. Doesn’t do anyone any good.

“By the time I stayed somewhere for more than a week before being beaten and auctioned to someone else, I was almost always silent. I was the personal slave of a Circle mage. We didn’t speak much. Get this. Do that. Clean something. The usual.

Appearently, he was a bit too picky about his bride, like he didn’t want to marry at all. His father blamed me for it. Could you believe it? The way he looked at me was my fault. To make a point to his son, he had me sold to the most notorious blood mage in Tevinter. Magister Denarius.”

Cinder faded off.

“What happened?” Dorian asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

“I murdered three people during a ritual.”

Silence.

“I can see why you wouldn’t want the Inquisition to know. Cole would have had a fit. Well, he already knows, doesn’t he? I wonder what Cullen would th-“ Dorian manically joked.

“Damn it, can you stop being clever for a minute? Three people are dead. They are looking for me. If the Inquisition finds out, they’ll be harboring a fugitive.” Cinder yelled in his face.

They separated. He felt the bitterness spill out of his mouth. “I’m a Vint, is that it? Are you afraid the big scary mage is going to snatch you up?”

The elf scoffed, his voice rising. “This is about you, huh? It’s always about you!”

“Says the Herald of Andraste himself! Are your Majesty’s fragile emotions hurt?”

“I never wanted this!”

“Boo-hoo, a life of luxury where everybody loves you for existing.”

“GET OUT!” he screamed. He threw a glass trinket against the wall, shattering it to pieces. “GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!”

Both of them began to cry as Dorian slammed the door.


End file.
